President Luis Abinader calls for international coordination against organized crime during the Ameripol summit

During the opening of the Ameripol hemispheric conclave in Santo Domingo, the Dominican leader requested greater data exchange to prevent transnational criminals from finding safe haven in other countries on the continent (Photo courtesy of the Presidency). The President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, chaired the XVI Ordinary Summit of the American Police Community (Ameripol) in Santo Domingo this Wednesday and asked international authorities to reinforce the exchange of information and joint actions to prevent transnational organized crime from finding refuge in other countries, the Presidency reported. The meeting brought together representatives from 39 member police institutions of Ameripol, as well as delegations and security agencies from the Americas, Europe, Australia, and the Republic of Korea. Participants included the International Criminal Police Organization, the Organization of American States, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the European Fraud Fighting Office. Abinader maintained that borders have ceased to limit the operations of criminal organizations and called for coordinated responses. "Crime is not national, crime is regional, crime is international," he stated, warning that criminals take advantage of movement between countries to extend their activities. The leader proposed that countries must deepen cooperation and share data on criminal structures so that those responsible for crimes cannot settle peacefully in another nation. He also called for responding with the same commitment to any criminal act. At the international police meeting in Santo Domingo, the Head of State affirmed that without stability or public order, it is impossible to achieve social well-being, collective tranquility, and financial progress for nations (Photo courtesy of the Presidency). He stated that citizen security is a condition for well-being, stability, and economic growth. "Without citizen security, there is no economic development. Without citizen security, there is no quality of life. Without citizen security, there is no happiness or peace among citizens of any country in the world," he declared. The Dominican government began strengthening its security strategies more directly in 2023 through an integrated task force composed of the main authorities responsible for combating crime. Abinader's administration had assumed this mechanism in August 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. This mechanism holds meetings every Monday to analyze the main security problems, coordinate measures, and follow up on results. The President assured that joint work improved indicators in recent years, although he acknowledged that challenges persist: "A single homicide, a single robbery is too much for our country." The Minister of Interior and Police, Faride Raful, pointed out that drug trafficking, arms smuggling, human trafficking, cybercrime, and money laundering transcend national borders and require a coordinated response. She also highlighted the transformation of the National Police, driven since 2021, aimed at modernizing training, doctrine, and the bond between agents and citizens. Raful announced that the Chamber of Deputies had the ratification of the Treaty of Brasilia on its agenda, which will grant Ameripol its own legal personality. She added that the Declaration of Santo Domingo would emerge from the summit, containing commitments regarding cooperation, intelligence and information exchange, and the prosecution of crime. Delegations from nearly forty security institutions coordinate joint intelligence strategies in the Dominican Republic against drug trafficking, money laundering, and cybercrime networks that operate without respecting borders (Photo courtesy of the Presidency). During the summit, Abinader received the Grand Extraordinary Order of Ameripol for his commitment to strengthening citizen security and international police cooperation. The distinction was presented by the executive secretary of Ameripol and director general of Carabineros of Chile, Marcelo Araya Zapata. The director general of the National Police, Major General Ernesto Rafael Rodríguez García, received the Order of the American Police Community for his leadership, professional trajectory, and commitment to citizen security and regional cooperation. Araya Zapata also presented him with this decoration. Rodríguez García defined Santo Domingo as a meeting point for hemispheric security and stated that organized crime, drug trafficking, cyber threats, and new criminal modalities require greater trust and intelligence exchange among institutions. "May our unity translate into action and our cooperation into security for the Americas," he expressed. Araya Zapata warned that criminal organizations are diversifying their activities and incorporating new technologies, meaning no police force can respond in isolation. He thanked Abinader, Raful, and Rodríguez García for their institutional support in holding the meeting. The delegations addressed common strategies against drug trafficking, arms smuggling, human trafficking, and cybercrime, prioritizing the exchange of information and police cooperation. The agenda also included the election of the new Ameripol presidency for the 2027-2028 term.